Australian constitution adopted by representatives of five colonies in Melbourne

Background. The Australasian Federal Convention followed elections held in March 1897. Delegates first gathered in Adelaide, later met in Sydney, and finally convened in Melbourne in March 1898. The constitution was drafted between 1891 and 1898 at a series of conventions conducted by representatives of the six self-governing British colonies in Australia. The basic principles of the 1891 draft constitution were adopted, modified by a consensus for more democracy in the constitutional structure.

Adoption in Melbourne. During the Melbourne session, the convention adopted a bill titled 'To Constitute the Commonwealth of Australia.' The body dissolved on 17 March 1898. Although the legacy row cites 16 March, the supplied passage explicitly states the dissolution date as 17 March. The adopted bill was subsequently transmitted to London for enactment.

Colonial Representation. The drafting conventions held between 1891 and 1898 were conducted by representatives of the six self-governing British colonies in Australia: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania. No supplied passage enumerates the colonies represented at the March 1898 Melbourne session specifically, so the six-colony list is attributed to the drafting conventions as a whole rather than to that session.